1. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of data processing systems and more particularly to a mobile data processing system designed for use with various base station units to form various systems for different applications.
2. History of Related Art
The number of applications for which data processing systems are useful is increasing rapidly. Until fairly recently, conventional desktop and laptop personal computers were used to address applications of widely varying scope and complexity. For some applications, these desktops systems typically were undesirably slow and inefficient while, for other applications such as simple data processing, the desktop system was often more than sufficient for the tasks. There was little differentiation between systems based upon the desired application. All systems typically included the same basic components such as an expensive general purpose microprocessor, system memory, display, input devices, and some form of mass storage such as a hard disk.
With the recent increase in network computing applications, wireless information transfer, and internet applications, the number of applications for which data processing systems are employed has increased correspondingly. To address this increase in computing applications, data processing device manufacturers have paid more attention to the design of various devices based upon the intended application. Network computers that lack significant mass storage capacity, as an example, are now routinely designed for networking applications in which it is presumed that the vast bulk of data will be stored on some form of network or distributed storage. Despite activity of this type, however, there exists a lack of systems designed for specific applications such as low cost information retrieval.
Simultaneously with the increase in computing applications, semiconductor device technology has increased to the point that significant computing power in the form of system-on-chip designs are now available at a fraction of the cost and size of conventional general purpose microprocessors. It would be highly desirable to implement available and low cost processing power in systems designed, targeted, and optimized for specific applications. It would be further desirable if the implemented solution leveraged, to the extent possible, a common module or core that could be transported and used with various attachment units to form various systems. It would be still further desirable if the common unit were functional as a stand-alone and portable data processing device.
The problems identified above are in large part addressed by the mobile computing device and associated base stations disclosed herein. The mobile computing device includes a system-on-chip (SOC) device that includes a general purpose processor core and a plurality of peripheral cells suitable for controlling a plurality of peripheral units. The mobile computing device further includes a system memory and a base unit interface. The base unit interface is suitable for connecting the mobile computing device to a base unit that includes a display adapter or graphics adapter suitable for controlling a video display. The SOC is connected to and enabled to control the display adapter when the mobile computing device is connected to the base unit. The base unit interface may comprise a PCI interface that connects the SOC device to the base unit via a PCI bus. The plurality of peripheral units may include an audio adapter, a flash device, a wireless suitable for transmitting and receiving wireless information, and a liquid crystal display suitable for displaying text messages. The mobile device preferably further includes a battery suitable for powering the mobile computing device. The base unit suitably includes an interface configured to connect to the base unit interface of the mobile computing device and a display adapter enabled to control a display. The display adapter is connected to the interface unit via a peripheral bus that is connected to the SOC when the mobile computing device and the base unit are connected. The base unit may comprise a desktop base unit that includes a hard disk adapter, a CD ROM drive, a floppy diskette drive, a network device base unit that includes a network adapter, controlled by the SOC, that enables the base unit to communicate with a network server, or an internet appliance base unit that includes a modem controlled by the SOC and configured to enable the system to connect to the internet.